Controlled differential pressure valve



p 1965 w. M. LUDLOW ETAL 3,208,475

CONTROLLED DIFFERENTIAL PRESSURE VALVE Filed March 11. 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 p 1965 w. M. LUDLOW ETAL 3,208,475

CONTROLLED DIFFERENTIAL PRESSURE VALVE Filed March 11, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 United States Patent 3,208,475 CONTROLLED DIFFERENTIAL PRESSURE VALVE William Montgomery Ludlow, 609 Cedar St, and Nicholas Martin Maras, RR. 2, both of Nelson, British Columbia, (Ianada Filed Mar. 11, 1963, Ser. No. 264,333 4 Claims. (Cl. 137--494) This invention relates to valve control means for inflated bags used in raising sunken objects, boats or ships from the depths of ocean, sea or other waters.

In the art to which the invention relates, in raising sunken ships or objects a common procedure is to engage a bag to the ship or object, and inflate the bag to give the necessary buoyancy to the ship or object and bring it to the surface. In this an automatic valve control for the inflated bag is desirable, compensating for depth variations of the bag.

The present invention is concerned with providing an improved valve control unit for connection by a hose line to the inflated bag, and that automatically releases excess air in the bag to maintain a required pressure, and in addition to avoid any interaction or turbulence that would affect the operation of the valve.

The essential features and advantages of the invention will become apparent by reference to the accompanying description taken in conjunction with the drawings.

In the drawings, wherein is illustrated a preferred embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 1 is a side view, broken away, showing a surface vessel from which air under pressure would be supplied for inflating the bag to raise the sunken ship or object.

FIG. 2 is a side view of a valve unit in accordance with the invention, shown with the valve closed, and with parts broken away and parts in section, and further illustrating connection of the valve to an inflated bag, and including fragments of the fluid line to the ship, with the bag and fluid lines shown broken away and the fluid lines partly in section.

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the valve unit taken by itself, and shown with the valve chamber partly in section.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged side view showing the mounting of the diaphragm on the valve casing, with parts in section and shown partly broken away.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged side view showing the diaphragm activated arm and the valve actuating arm, including the pivotal attachment of the arms together and the balance spring for the arms, with the activated arm shown broken away.

FIG. 6 is a side view, taken on a line 66 of FIGURE 3, showing the control valve and mounting of the valve and the connecting diaphragm activated lever, shown broken away and partly in section.

Having reference to the drawings, an inflatable bag 1 would receive air under pressure through a fluid line 2 leading from a compressor at 3 in a surfiace ship 4, connected to the bag 1.

To the bag 1 would be connected the control valve by pipes 5 and 6 attaching to a plate 1' on the bag 1.

The valve control unit includes a dished casing 7 to which the pipe 5 connects by attachment to a coupling pipe 8 fixed to the casing and having communication with the interior of the casing. On the casing is attached a resilient diaphragm 9 (FIGS. 2 and 4) for which the casing has an annular flange 10 with inwardly turned edge portion 11 and over which edge portion, the diaphragm is stretched and secured by a clamping band 12 that may be tightened on the diaphragm by a bolt 13 connecting the flanged ends of the band. The mounting ice of the diaphragm on the casing as herein shown is intended as illustrative only and not limitative.

On the diaphragm is a plate 14 attached to the diaphragm by a bolt 15 having a nut 16 threaded on the head end portion of the bolt.

The valve mechanism is carried by the casing 7 on arms 17 fixed to the casing and to which are transversely attached as by welding, plates 18 on which are bolted angle iron cross bars 19 and 20 that are spaced apart.

On the cross bars 19 and 20 is pivoted a U shaped diaphragm activated arm 21 on a pin 22 that it mounted free to turn in the vertical legs of the angle iron cross bars 19 and 20. On the pin 22 is fixed a U shaped valve actuating arm 23 in opposing relation to the arm 21 and connected therewith by a coiled spring 24 with the arms normally held outwardly tilted downward below a horizontal line of balance by a spring 25 attached to an arm 26 fixed to the arm 21 and an arm 27 on the cross bar 19. A stop 28 is fixed to the cross bar 19 between the cross bars and engages the outer end of the arm 21 to limit downward movement of this arm.

The pin 22 includes an extension 29 to which is fixed an arm 30. On the cross bar 20 is an upstanding bracket arm 31 on which is mounted a cylindrical valve body 32 that connects by the pipe 6 to the inflated bag 1. The valve body includes an annular seat 33 at the one end defining the valve casing outlet and against which is adapted to be seated in closing relation thereto a valve head 34 on a valve stem 35 that is mounted endwise slidable in the arm 30, the valve stem including a reduced stem portion 36 extending through a suitable opening in and projecting outwardly of the arm and on which is threaded a nut 37 engaging a coiled spring 38 on the stem portion 36, the spring bearing against a washer 37 between the spring 38 and the arm 30 and normally holding the valve head 34 against the valve seat 33. A coiled spring 39 (FIG. 2) attaches the arm 30 to the bracket arm 31 and is tensioned to normally hold the valve head 34 against the seat 33.

Further on the valve body 32 is attached an angle bracket 40 in which is mounted a bolt 41 between nuts 42 and 43, the bolt having a cross head 44 that acts as a stop limiting upward movement of the valve actuating arm 23.

In the use of the device when the air pressure within the bag 1 exceeds the water pressure the diaphragm 14 of the valve unit is forced outward, and this moves the bolt 12 (FIG. 2) upward, tilting the diaphragm actuated arm 21 upward, pivoted on the pin 22, until the spring passes the balance level between its connections with the arms 21 and 23, when the arms 23 will be moved upward against the stop 44, land the pin 22, turned by the arm 23, will draw back on the arm 30 and unseat the valve head 34 from its seat 33 allowing the excess air to escape until the pressure within the bag drops and allows the diaphragm to drop, thus moving downward the arms 21 and 23 past the horizontal balance of the arms when they will close the valve head 34 tight against the seat 33. The spring 25 is tensioned by the upward movement of the arm 21 and in conjunction with the external pressure on the diaphragm 9 moves the arm downward, and when the spring 24 passes the balance level between its connections with the arms 21 and 23, the arm 23 will be moved downward and thereby turn the pin 22, moving the arm 30 to close the valve.

The spring 24 holds the arms 21 and 23 with the valve head 34 wholly open or wholly closed so that the flow of excess air from the bag is continuous, or cut off entirely and turbulence is eliminated in view of the discharge of the surplus air in separate and isolated amounts.

The connection to the bag of the pipe lines 5 and 6,

3 and of the fluid line 2 are well spaced to prevent interaction that might otherwise affect operation of the valve un1t.

Having thus particularly ascertained the nature of our said invention, what we claim and wish to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In an apparatus for raising under water objects a mechanism for actuating a valve between open and closed relation to an outlet from a valve casing by the movement of a diaphragm responsive to pressure obtaining within a bag connected to be filled with compressed air and external water pressure, the bag having a pipe line connecting to the valve casing, and including a casing mounted on the bag and over which the diaphragm is mounted; said mechanism comprising a frame mounted on the diaphragm casing, the valve casing mounting in said frame, a pin transversely mounted in the frame free to turn, a valve actuating arm fixed to the pin, an activated arm pivotally engaging said pin in opposing relation to the valve actuating arm, a spring connecting said arms with the arms movable above and below the balance level between the connections of said spring to the arms, an upstanding arm fixed on the transversely mounted pin, the valve mounting on the upstanding arm, said valve having a head for seating on the valve seat, means connecting the diaphragm and activated arm for moving said arm above and below the spring balance level by the diaphragm, and spring means anchored in the frame and connected to the upstanding arm normally holding said arm with the valve head in closing relation to the valve casing outlet.

2. Pressure responsive means as set out in claim 1 and including a valve stem on the valve, the arm on which the valve head is mounted being slidable outwardly on said stem in unseating the valve head, and spring means on the valve stem normally holding arm with the valve seated.

3. A valve assembly as set out in claim 1 and including a stop on the valve casing limiting upward movement of the valve actuating arm.

4. A valve assembly as set out in claim 1 and including a spring anchored to the frame and engaging the diaphragm activated arm tensionable by the valve head unseating movement of said arms, and a further spring anchored to the frame and connected to the arm on which the valve head is mounted normally holding said arm with the valve seated.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,558,276 10/25 Peterson 25175 X 2,376,348 5/45 Fox 251--75 X 2,635,574 4/53 Sturtevant 114-54 MARTIN P. SCHWADRON, Acting Primary Examiner.

M. CARY NELSON, Examiner. 

1. IN AN APPARATUS FOR RAISING UNDER WATER OBJECTS A MECHANISM FOR ACTUATING A VALVE BETWEEN OPEN AND CLOSED RELATION TO AN OUTLET FROM A VALVE CASING BY THE MOVEMENT OF A DIAPHRAGM RESPONSIVE TO PRESSURE OBTAINING WITHIN A BAG CONNECTED TO BE FILLED WITH COMPRESSED AIR AND EXTERNAL WATER PRESSURE, THE BAG HAVING A PIPE LINE CONNECTING TO THE VALVE CASING, AND INCLUDING A CASING MOUNTED ON THE BAG AND OVER WHICH THE DIAPHRAGM IS MOUNTED; SAID MECHANISM COMPRISING A FRAME MOUNTED ON THE DIAPHRAGM CASING, THE VALVE CASING MOUNTING IN SAID FRAME, A PIN TRANSVERSELY MOTED IN THE FRAME FREE TO TURN, A VALVE ACTUATING ARM FIXED TO THE PIN, AN ACTIVATED ARM PIVOTALLY ENGAGING SAID PIN IN OPPOSING RELATION TO THE VALVE ACTUATING ARM, A SPRING CONNECTING SAID ARMS WITH THE ARMS MOVABLE ABOVE AND BELOW THE BALANCE LEVEL BETWEEN THE CONNECTIONS OF SAID SPRING TO THE ARMS, AN UPSTANDING ARM FIXED ON THE TRANSVERSELY MOUNTED PIN, THE VALVE MOUNTING ONT HE UPSTANDING ARM, SAID VALVE HAVING A HEAD FOR SEATING ON THE VALVE SEAT, MEANS CONNECTING THE DIAPHRAGM AND ACTIVATED ARM FOR MOVING SAID ARM ABOVE AND BELOW THE SPRING BALANCE LEVEL BY THE DIPHRAGM, AND SPRING MEANS ANCHORED IN THE FRAME AND CONNECTED TO THE UPSTANDING ARM NORMALLY HOLDING SAID ARM WITH THE VALVE HEAD IN CLOSING RELATION TO THE VALVE CASING OUTLET. 